Manufacture of wet-formed compacts



SePt- 8, 1936. w. B. JONES 2,053,996

MANUFACTURE OF WET FORMED` COMPACTS Filed June 22, 1933 l' o o o o J'ooo 8 00050 OOO OOG OOG fl/ v INVENTOR,

Patented- Sept. 8, 1.936

UNITED STATES MANUFACTURE oF WET-FORME!) ooMPAcTs W. Bartlett Jones, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 22, 1933, Serial No. 677,070

6 Claims.

The present invention relatesto themanufacture of cosmetics such as rouge and face powder` compacts. It has particular reference to the manufacture of Wet-formed compacts and like cakes from wet pastes which form a surface crust on drying the forming liquid therefrom and it avoids the crust formation.

'I'he present state of the art in the cosmetic iield is Well described in the Helfrich Patent No. 1,655,369, which gives a typical composition for wet-formed compacts using water as the formingliquid, and the method of forming them. Suitable mineral ingredients selected from talc, chalk, kaolin, zinc oxide and others are compounded with or without an emollient such as mineral oil and With or without a gum binder such as gum arabic, gum tragacanth, or other soluble gum, with or Without coloring agents, and water, to form a wet paste or dough. This mixture is divided into pellets and formed into a cake on a supporting base. It is common to have a dried glue or other moisture-activated adhesive already deposited on the base so that the cake on drying is very securely lunited adhesively to the base. Usually, the gum or binder in the-composition is insufficient to eiiect a good union. It is important that the binder content be small so that the particles in the cake are easily rubbed off, as by Aa powder puff, or the-fingers.

In the composition described in the Helfrich patent, the dried ingredients contain less than 0.1% of gum arabic as the binder. The Helfrich patent specifically describes the drying of that wet paste on a glued plate, and'mentions the formation of a. hard crust at the surface, and the removal of the crust by sand-papering.

The removal of thecrust layer involves time, labor and waste of material. -The present invention is based on discovery of the cause of crustformation and the devising of methods of manufacture to prevent its formation and also to lower the cost ofv production and to lessen or minimize waste of material.

By means of the present invention the compacts may be formed by special drying methods so as to leave the usable surfacefree from a crust and directly usable without treatment, like sandpapering.

Herein I will describe the invention specifically with reference to water asy the forming liquid, `which is' also a solvent for the gum or binder, and which activates the glue or like layer originally in dried form on the mounting plate. It will of course be understood that Water is preferred as the wetting liquid, because it is cheap and practicable, and causes no vapor problem, and because it mixes nicely with minerals. It is also known to use mixtures of ethyl alcohol and Water as the forming liquid, and alcohol or other volatile liquid could be used in the present invention without 5 water or with some water, having regard for the use of a binder suitably soluble in the forming liquid.

The primary object of the invention is to dry the compact, mounted wet on a plate, away from 10 the usable surface thereof through the body of the compact, or in other words to reverse the direction of movement of the liquid or Vapor from that of the prior art. v

Another object of the invention is to free the 15 compact from forming-liquid by removing it through the plate on which it is mounted.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a rigid mounting plate which is pervious to vapor, either by reason of one or more perfora- 20 tions or by reason of a porous structure.

It is also another object to provide plates of th character above described.

Still another object of the invention is the covering of the usable surface with a protective g5 contacting material to prevent evaporation from that surface.

Another object of the invention is the exposure of the usable surface during all or the necessary part of the drying period to a non-drying atmos- 30 pherein Which evaporation with crust formation cannot occur.

In order to explain the nature of the invention and to teach how it may be carried out in actual practice, I have illustrated materials and appara- A`35 tus which may be used to carry out the invention in several ways, as shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 represents an annular plate for receiving compact composition.

Fig. 2 represents a cross-section of a finished compact on a plate like that of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 represents a perforated plate showing a name in perforate form.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of a perforated plate. 45

Fig. 5 represents a porous plate covered with a glue in dried form.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the plate of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a cross-section of a drying box for the invention consisting of plate and cover.

Fig. 8 is a cross-section of a circular mold i which compacts may be finally shaped.

I have?p found that the crust is formed by the creeping of solution, such as in water, containing dissolved materials from within thebody of the paste to the surface which is exposed to drying conditions. As the exposed surface is first dried it is less wet than the interior, and hence the liquid on the interior flows to the drier part. Where water is use-d and gum is present, such as gum arabic, which is soluble, it also moves with the water. Any soluble material, and even dissolved quantities of the minerals or any impurities therein, will thus tend to move to the surface Where theymust of course be deposited. It is this concentration which causes the crust, or surface layer which is harder than the inner layer. In the instances where color, such as dyes, are present which are not totally insoluble, the color also is concentrated, and the surface shade is darker than the interior shade. In such cases the highly colored crust must be removed even though it should be suciently friable to be readily rubbed off.

In order to avoid the crust formation I reverse the direction of drying and dry through the plate or b ase side of the Compact, thus drawing formingfliquid from the usable surface of the ernpat. The residues which are deposited are lett at the bottom of the product where they are invisible and are never reached in the ordinary use of e eempeet.

One method of making compacts will first be described as a slight alteration from the ordinary well known methods. The compact may be formed in the. usual way, using only enough paste, and slightly less than used heretofore, to make the standard size. It may be initially fashioned to ultimate shape and size. I n Fig.V 1 I show a ring i0, as o f metal with a single hole l i therein, preferably at the center. This may be used as the'base plate. Glue l2 is indicate-d therein to receive the wet paste. Other adhesive may be used which is activated by the forming liquid. Eig. 2 represents in cross-section a compact made on plate iQ, having paste |73 extending into hole ll. es. shown at i4.-

Figs. 3 and 4 represent a plate I5 having nur merqus small holes I G therein. Otherwise it resembles plate I0. The small holes may be ar'-, sensed m letter form, so as to give the neme if the dealer, or the trade name of the compact. Thus when the cake is all used and the plate is eknesed, the mate will. shew the neme es a sugestien ier duplicating pmehese ef. the seme materiel.-

Figs. 5 and 6 represent a further diminution the p erforate character of the plate. These represent a porous substance l1, such as a p iece of fiber, ber beard. porous. eley 01? any like substance which will remain fixed during the process and permit moisture vapor to pass through it. When bers or like material are used which swell when wet, these may be water-proofed in such a Way as to ren-der'them moisture pervious,` it being understood that proofness to water and to moisture are distinctive properties.n In using a porous. plate as of clay, any glue used thereon should of course transmit the moisture so thatl drying can be effected. A water soluble glue I8 is shown.

It is also to be observed that the plates may be other than circular, and other than flat. Hexa'gonal forms are well known. Dished forms of various Vsh'ajes are also used. The plate or mounting may have a flange encompassing the edge of the compact mass, as is well known in the art. This is shown in Fig. 7 by the dished mounting base i9, with flange 20 enclosing compact massll. v

To dry the wet compacts on any of the moisture-pervious bases, one method is to follow the prior art practice of resting them base-side down on a support to dry at ordinary temperature. For this invention the base is supported over a channel or passage into which the moisture escapes through the base, and the exposed compact mass is surrounded with a, medium in which evaporation does not at all or readily occur.

One practical way to do this is shown in Fig. '7. A raised shelf such'as a board or plate 3B is supported by legs 3| to provide a space beneath it for circulation of air. Holes 32 are formed in the shelf slightly smaller than the mounting plates of the compacts. Care is taken to have the hole and plate t neatly so that the joint is fairly well sealed. Packing means can be supplied as required. Compacts are shown on the holes to dry threugh the holes. To prevent drying through the top of the compact a cover 33 is placed over the compacts and on the shelf. In the cover a moist atmosphere is maintanedis. best done by keeping it saturated with moisture through the medium ef a moist pad .secured to the cover. I prefer te. use a lining ef. rubber sponge 34. over the entire inside ef. the cover. and to extend it slightly below the suppertine edges 3.5 ef the Cover. as et. 35, wllereat itis eempi'essed as. a sert 0f seal. fer irregularities of tting between the shelfv end covert Compacts se drieel. have. e. ten lever devoid. of erust- When drie-el. they are ready fer with.- eut further treatment er trmmma Anether methed ef. Carrying out. the. invention eierds many savings. in the. process et formation and provides an improved. pmduet- A meld is formed in which, the tempest, is shaped. The mele is designated et. All es. e spherical recess. fer e. mund. tempest., and the available. Werking aree is nreferebly greater then the area desired in the tempest A curvature. comparable to e. diemeter et te .3" makes. en. evemse sise tempest ef. 1.1/2 ellemeten The meld. may be lined. er. un: lined. if emmen it. is best. to. iet me paste reside in the meld. during; drying, er te transfer it te enetlier .similar shaped. reeeres. I preferte line it with en. impervious sheet, seen. es metal. toil messed t0 fit. the eurvetme Witheet Wrinkles, es shown et 4 Edges ef: the feil extend. beyond the elee ef the eemneet. es et 42.-. inte. the mele e Pellet ei neste. is. elated'. lim/ms et. leest english materiel t0 fermtlle eempeet. The perforated lases ere Preferrell The bese l0 is simply pressed tip-0n the Pellet. at. ne ekeet.. angle, until. the plete eenteets the mekl. lf. there is inst enough neste. there will be nov waste. If there is a slight excess it will be extruded atthe perforation ll: and possibly about the edgel 43. Excess can be wiped Wa-l. either befQle 0l?.- ater: drying, Dljeflltlbly after, as the removal is more neatly eitected without smearing Peste. about like tempest. encased in foil may be left in the meld te. dryy er; the fm1 may be removed from the mold` and set aside to dry. Drying is enforced through the hole H, in plate lo'. and perhaps at the edges.l To, prevent drying et the tempest edeetheexeessffeil- 4.2 .may .be feldeel Over.- the; elette While it. is: in the mold, as a lock between the foil and itslcdntents. it. is elly., the.l compnet. is seedy fer market andl its face is protected.

A imtlierlmmevement in. particular. meth.- Od ef memifeeture consists. in mei/mina the meld betty 4.0. etnerd. materiel et least. at. the surfeee- This met be. tiene. lerl ehmmium meting.

.The plete. Whisk. then. used. snenkthete a sham .1.5

square edge, and should be forced by sufficient mechanical pressure to cut through or seriously weaken the foil. The foil will thus bein intimate and sealing contact with the edge. Cutting pressure is preferred so that the compact can be lifted off and be dried with a close-fitting foil cover thereon and a trimmed edge. Thus there is less handling and no further manipulation of the extending edges of the foil.

Another advantage of the use of foil is in the fact that any markings in the foil appear on the compact. A linen mark can be made, or a trade name may be impressed, or embossed in the foil, and the same reproduced at the compact surface. The metal foil easily peels from the dried compact mass so that no diliiculty is encountered.

It is one disadvantage of the prior art Wet methods of manufacture that a trade name cannot be left on the compact, as it can be in the dry-forming process of pressing pills from moist powder.

Wherein the base plate is referred to as pervious to vapor, it is intended to include all the forms illustrated, including those forms which have many perforations or a single hole.

It will be understood that there may be various modifications of the invention and of the various processes and materials herein specifically described, Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim: l

1. The method of drying forming-liquid from a wet preformed cosmetic compact of powder or rouge containing liquid solution in the compact composition, which comprises mounting said cornpact mass on a carrying base which is pervious to permit drying out of said liquid therethrough, and evaporating the liquid from the base or mountable side of said co-mpact through said pervious base, while avoiding evaporation from the top or useful side of the compact.

2. The method of making a wet-formed compact from wet cosmetic paste for powder and rouge compacts, which consists of forming the compact While wet with volatile forming liquid on a rigid base which is pervious to vapor of said liquid, exposing the paste side to a non-drying atmosphere for said liquid, and exposing the base to a drying atmosphere.

3. The method of making a wet-formed compact from wet cosmetic paste for powder and rouge compacts, which consists of forming the compact while Wet with a volatile forming-liquid on a rigid base which is pervious to vapor of said liquid, covering the paste side with a contacting cover to prevent evaporation therefrom, and evapo-rating liquid from the base side.

4. A mounted cosmetic compact comprising a mounting base plate characterized by rigidity and perviousness to vapor, and a cosmetic compact mass adhesively united to said plate and dried in situ thereon with resulting adhesion thereto, said compact mass being characterized by crust-forming ingredients therein being increasingly concentrated toward said base in the drying in situ.

5. A mounted cosmetic compact comprising a mounting base plate characterized by rigidity and perforations, and a cosmetic compact mass adhesively united to said plate and dried in situ thereon with resulting adhesion thereto, said compact mass being characterized by crust-form ing ingredients therein being increasingly concentrated toward said base in the drying in situ.

6. A mounted cosmetic compact comprising a mounting base plate characterized by rigidity and a single hole therein of substantial size, and a cosmetic compact mass adhesively united to said plate and dried in situ thereon with resulting adhesion thereto, said compact mass spanning said hole, and being characterized by crust-forming ingredients therein being increasingly concentrated toward said base in the drying in situ.

W. BARTLETT JONES. 

